


The Haunting of Hill (Coffee)House

by 5y8m12d



Category: The Haunting of Hill House (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, F/F, Fluff, It's cute trust me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-10-12 13:54:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17468843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5y8m12d/pseuds/5y8m12d
Summary: Coffee Shop AU where the entire Crain family survived Hill House and now they own a coffee shop and Theo is about to meet the love of her life.





	1. Welcome to Hill (Coffee)House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this started as a one shot but then it got a little too long,, long enough to have more chapter i think so that's happening!

“Theo…” Nell whispered as she came up beside Theo, “that really pretty girl has been looking at you!”

“Well good for her,” Theo grumbled, not moving an inch from her position leaning against the counter, her face propped against her fist and her face set into a frown staring out the front window of the shop.

 _Hill (Coffee)House_ had been in business for almost ten years. After their children left their Forever House, Olivia and Hugh Crain had come up with the perfect excuse to keep their children close enough. Each one had been assigned a day of the week to work at the coffee shop of their parents – the responsibility was unavoidable.

“But _Theo!_ ” Nellie protested.

For a split second, Theo turned to look at her sister with shock in her face. It was unbelievable how sometimes the past and the present seemed to intertwine themselves. Maybe it was just Nellie, Theo thought sometimes about the way sometimes Nell would say something and sound so much like her younger self, exactly like she did when she was five years old. It always stunned Theo’s heart.

“This is work, Nell, leave me be.”

By the way Theo pronounced the last words, Nell got the message that the conversation was over. She stared with a frown at her older sister, trying to read her mind, trying to figure out a way to help her break through those walls.

Their entire family seemed to have problems with emotional walls in one way or another, but _Theo_ , Theo was on another level. After the events of her wedding, the youngest Crain sibling had been so charmed by the sight of Theo slow dancing with a woman that Nell had taken it upon herself to make sure that Theo found the love of her life, just as she had found Arthur.

 

Each one of the Crain siblings had their own way of dealing with their duties at the coffee shop. Luke usually arrived with a bright and cheerful mood on Saturdays, since he attended college on the weekdays. Shirley was an anxious mess that tried so hard she often messed up things a little bit. Steven was efficient but he had the bad habit of criticizing the clients’ orders. Theo, when she wasn’t in the mood, she could make men turn around and leave the shop with just one look. Nell, on the other hand, despite starting her new life with Arthur she still was very much attached to her parents and she tried to visit the coffee shop as often as possible, even when she didn’t have to. That’s how she figured out that the same beautiful woman from the other day had the tendency of passing by the coffee shop whenever Theo was there.

“Seriously, Theo, listen to me.”

“No thanks,” Theo answered, not even looking up from her phone. “I am not going to start picking up girls from behind the counter, Nell. Not my style. I’m doing just fine, thank you.”

“But she’s _really_ pretty!”

Again, Nell’s voice, for a split second, sounded just like when she was little. The effect was immediate for Theo, who had always had a weakness for her little sister. She finally looked up with amusement in her eyes.

“Is that so?”

“Yes! I – uh, I mean…” Nell stuttered, suddenly understanding the smug look on Theo’s face. “Oh don’t tease me about it! It’s been ages. I’m married now,” she whisper-shouted at her sister.

“Yeah, I know. But I remember, Nell. The good old days, the first time I took my little sister to a gay club…”

“ _Theo!_ ”

Nell had started to blush madly and admitting defeat she left Theo alone.

 

Not a long time passed before Nell got her wish come true. Again, she was at the coffee shop during Theo’s day. It wasn’t a pretty busy day, though, so both sisters were at the counter just talking with each other when suddenly Nell let out a gasp.

“What? What’s going on?” Theo asked her.

“Oh my God, I don’t know! But I suddenly have to leave, you know? You’ll manage alone? You will, right?”

As she talked, Nell quickly moved backwards and into the storage room, she had been a blushing mess of giggles and, for Theo, that usually meant bad news. Effectively, Theo had stared at her sister’s departing figure, turning her back to the counter. So, she wasn’t exactly expecting what happened right after.

“Hello?” a sweet voice called out.

Theo turned around, not with a glare, since the costumer most likely wasn’t a man. But her words died in her throat when she caught sight of the woman on the other side of the counter. Bright eyes, dark long hair, a beautiful face and genuinely, the most perfect smile Theo had ever seen.

“Hi, can I have a coffee?” the woman asked.

There was a reason Theo didn’t want to even try with women at the coffee shop. It was out of her comfort zone, she didn’t feel confident in there, the silly apron didn’t make her feel like herself. The result? Nervous and awkward Theo Crain.

She could only silently nod as the gorgeous client made her order. It was only halfway through the preparation of the coffee that Theo realized she was still nodding, like an idiot, she thought. She immediately stopped and looked around to see if… yes, of course the woman had been staring at her. She was smiling, though, the beautiful stranger was smiling at her. But her eyes were amused, that was not the reaction Theo usually got from women – she cursed the coffee shop under her breath. Then, when she messed up the order she cursed out loud, earning a small chuckle from the woman that was making her so nervous – that didn’t help.

When Theo finally got the coffee order right, she moved towards the counter to pass it to the customer. However, fate was determined to make it all more difficult for her. Theo lightly tripped with her own feet and earned a small spill of burning hot coffee on her bare hand. That was another thing that she didn’t like about the shop, her mother had convinced her to drop the gloves. She didn’t have to touch people’s hands, she could easily avoid it if she tried, but she felt vulnerable and she hated it.

“Fuck my day,” Theo exclaimed, trying to control her hand and passing the coffee to the woman that was softly laughing, “Do you think it’s funny?”

Theo’s question came out a little harsh, and the woman didn’t even had time to react, because with all the distractions, Theo had been careless and their hands had brushed.

“You think I’m _what_?” Theo’s question basically slipped from her lips. _Beautiful_ – she perfectly felt what the woman was feeling with just that brief touch.

“What?”

“What?”

That very eloquent discussion had distracted both women enough so that the coffee cup that had been suspended above the counter, held by both of them, suddenly met its fate by slipping from both hands and into the counter.

“What the _hell_?!” Theo exclaimed, suddenly furious with herself.

Both her and the beautiful stranger got a handful of napkins and started a lame attempt at fixing the mess, but apparently Theo’s exclamation had summoned none other than Olivia Crain, who stepped out of the storage room with a scolding “Theo!” but her eyes were alight with mischief.

“What happened here?”

“Nothing! I’m just fucking up my day…”

“Theodora!” Olivia reprimanded her once more, but the playfulness in her eyes didn’t disappear, “My girl, you’ve been trying so hard you’ve made a mess, just like Shirley…”

“Not really I just…”

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Olivia interrupted her daughter, “I’ll take care of it.”

“No, mom, it’s okay…”

“No, no, I insist, please. You go and hang out with you friend, I’ll bring you coffee in a minute.”

Theo’s face obviously showed her disbelief – it was more than clear that Olivia had been sent by Nell, and she wasn’t taking a no for an answer. Theo was quickly ushered out of her apron and away from the counter. Her surprise hadn’t faded when she turned around and she saw the beautiful woman waiting for her by one of the tables.

“I think they just set you up,” she whispered when Theo got close enough.

“You’re perceptive,” Theo commented as she sat down, she still wasn’t feeling precisely excited about this whole ambush.

“Sociology student,” the woman shrugged.

“Doctor in psychology.”

Theo’s reply seemingly impressed the woman in front of her, who smiled and lifted her eyebrows appreciatively. Then, Theo took a second to breathe, to leave the messy events of the past minutes behind and accept that she was in company of a gorgeous woman that looked highly interested in her.

“I’m Theodora,” she said, finally regaining her natural charm and confidence.

Her extended hand was met by the other woman who softly answered, “Trish.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just want more Theo/Trish content you know?  
> And i love writing fluff  
> there's more to come!  
> please leave comments because they make me so happy :)


	2. Hot Chocolate

“Good morning,” Theo smiled smugly at Trish from the other side of the counter.

For a second, Trish couldn’t even answer. She had discovered, over the course of a few weeks knowing Theo, that she had developed a habit of finding herself speechless when in front of the wonder that was Theodora Crain. Particularly, that morning, she was struggling to simply wrap her mind around all that was Theo. First, waking up delightfully naked after the extraordinary events of the previous night (each night they spent together was even better thatn the one before). Second, turning around on her pillow just to find a note on the bed, “ _Sorry! Had to rush to the coffee shop. Meet me there, Theo._ ” Third, that bright, beautiful and nearly arrogant smile that Theo wore on her face. She was doing a terrible job at faking innocence, acting as if Trish was just another customer, as if they didn't see each other almost every day, as if they hadn’t shared the night together, barely getting a couple hours of sleep because they had been _busy_. Well, two could play that game, Trish thought to herself.

“What can I get you?” Theo asked her.

“You know what I like.”

“Of course I do,” Theo replied without missing a beat.

 _Unbelievable_. That was how Trish would have described Theo at the moment.

As she prepared coffee for both of them, Theo dropped her apron and called out to her younger sister, “Nellie!” she shouted. And the pretty head of the youngest sibling popped out from the door of the storage room.“Can you cover up for me for a few minutes?”

But Theo was already out of the counter.

“What if I can’t?” Nell told her, and after that she began biting her lip to hide her delight with the situation.

“I think you can,” Theo said.

And with that she rounded the counter, took Trish extended hand and walked her to an empty table. When they sat down and their hands were no longer touching, Theo still had the goosebumps that appeared on her skin after sensing so much of what Trish was feeling - what Trish was feeling for _her_.

Theo couldn’t help but smile a little, couldn’t help but feel good about herself. It seemed that Trish really liked her. But it just so happened that the adrenaline and attraction of the one night stands that Theo was used to, that was no longer there. Days and days had already passed but Theo and Trish continued to come back to one another. Trish’s feelings reached Theo softly but persistently, settling warmly at her core and it was equal parts comforting and terrifying. As a human, she was overjoyed to be the subject of the affection of such a wonderful woman. But as a smart woman herself, and a doctor nonetheless, Theo was aware that she held the upper hand. With just one touch she could almost perfectly read Trish’s feelings towards her, meanwhile the other woman was kept in the darkness of the shadows projected by the tall brick walls Theo kept around her.

“Are you okay, Theo?” Trish interrupted her train of thought, “You look… thoughtful.”

The soft question further proved that Trish was a beautifully caring person and that she deserved the very best Theo could offer her.

“I was… thinking of you, if you must know.”

“Is that so? What exactly were you thinking about?”

Now, Theo might have been making an effort, she was genuinely trying hard to get past all her self-imposed obstacles and emotional walls born during her childhood. But it wasn’t easy to flip her entire personality upside down. She held to those walls and those boundaries even when she didn’t want to.

“Uh, why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking about?”

For Theo, not only she didn’t want to say all she had in her mind and her heart at the moment, but her inquiry was just a perfect opportunity. She couldn’t escape the fact that she could know so much of Trish with one touch and basically without her consent. But she could try her best at ignoring all of that. She could make it a point to ignore everything that Trish didn’t tell her herself. So, she had to ask.

“Well, I was thinking you are… unbelievable, honestly.”

Theo’s avoidance of the question, instead of annoying, resulted amusing for Trish. Regardless of all the barriers Theo put around her, Trish found her pretty easy to figure out. It wasn’t difficult to realize that Theo struggled to open up, to show most emotions, to talk honestly in general. But as if her otherworldly beauty wasn’t a good enough reason, Trish could see that Theo was genuinely making an effort for her, and that was worth giving her some help when she needed it.

“I was thinking about how last night you were… _magnificent_. But then I wake up to a funny little note. Then I find you here, smug as ever. And now here you are in front of me, and I think you look so cute.” Trish shrugged with a content smile on her face, “I think that you’re a little bit of everything, and I like every bit of you.”

“Fuck.”

Theo’s reaction made both of them laugh happily. Plus, it gave her a few seconds to actually absorb Trish’s words. It was bewildering for Theo that the other woman could so easily put her thoughts and emotions into words and not only that but she also shared them comfortably and confidently. It wouldn’t exactly be easy but…

“I think you’re worth it,” Theo said, “I was thinking about how you seem to good to be true. And how I should probably do everything in my power to… keep you in my life.”

Brief and honest. That was a safe way to go. And it seemed good enough for now, considering Trish’s beaming smile.

“Nell?!” Theo called out to the counter, “Do you think you could cover me for the rest of the day?”

“Don’t make it a habit!”

Although she put on a fake pout on her face, Nell was actually over the moon at the idea of her older sister possibly finding true love.

 

A while later, done with breakfast and coffee, Theo and Trish were taking a stroll around a nearby park as they often did, both bundled up in their coats and with their cold hands in their pockets. a peaceful silence was surrounding them, it wasn't precise awkward, but Theo felt compelled to break it.

“So, uh, how was your day?”

“It started out great, thanks for asking” Trish laughed and turned towards Theo with a playful eyebrow raised, “Theo, we’ve been together basically the entire day, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, just, isn’t that what we’re supposed to talk about?”

“Try again.”

It was lighthearted, it was comfortable. Trish was capable of making fun of Theo in a way that far from coming off as rude. She was patient and kind and Theo couldn’t exactly wrap her mind around the fact of how lucky she was to be beside her.

“What’s your favorite color?”

Theo’s question this time had Trish laughing loudly. The sound was delightful, Theo thought, like Trish had absorbed all the light of the day and had replaced the sun. Which, really, wasn’t too far from the truth. Theo had never felt her life to be so bright as it felt whenever she was beside Trish.

“You know what?” Trish asked her. “Just hold my hand.”

That simple sentence made Theo stop in her tracks. Why did Trish wanted Theo to touch her? What did she know? Had she figured out Theo could read her emotions through her touch?

“Come on, I don’t bite,” Trish said. She was waiting. She just wanted to hold her hand, she just wanted the closeness, that cute gesture, that thing that nobody else would second guess but had Theo struggling to breathe. Neither of them had brought gloves. There was no way out of the situation. Theo was absolutely sure she’d be unable to come up with an excuse without coming off as a jerk and letting Trish down. Seeing that delicate hand extended towards her, the choice, although frightening, it wasn’t too difficult.

 _Warmth_ \- _butterflies_ \- _stressed for a test_ \- _Theo’s so pretty_ \- _that tattoo I regret_ \- _the first day I saw Theo_ \- _a difficult class_ \- _I hope Theo starts calling me her girlfriend_ \- _the death of a family member a year ago_ \- _Theo’s body_ \- _hot chocolate_ … Theo held her hand tighter and smiled at Trish.

Maybe most people on relationships couldn’t literally feel whatever their partner was feeling with just a simple touch. Maybe that was as much of a blessing as it was a curse. But, in the greater scheme of things, Theo thought. being empathic was far from a negative thing. Sure, maybe her case was extreme and out of the ordinary. But if she literally got a PHD to do something positive with her condition, maybe she could use that in other areas of her life as well.

As they continued to walk through the park with their hands nicely intertwined, Theo let out a question.

“Trish? I’m going to ask you something and I’ll need you to be completely honest with me…” she said. “Do you genuinely like coffee or do you just like me?” Trish chuckled and Theo could only describe the sound as angelic. “Let’s go. I’m going to buy you a hot chocolate.”

Theo’s declaration seemed to impressed Trish. “Really?” she asked.

“Of course. What kind of woman would I be if I denied my gorgeous girlfriend a warm beverage?”

The delicate surprise that grazed Trish features then was by far the most precious thing Theo had ever seen. Just out of curiosity, she tried to focus on whatever she could feel from the touch of Trish’s hand. She ended up surprised with herself, though, because Theo realized with a start that for the first time since they met weeks ago, she couldn’t exactly tell Trish’s emotions, she couldn’t differentiate where Trish’s feelings ended and hers began. At that moment, Theo and Trish were feeling exactly the same, and it was nothing short of beautiful.


	3. A Little More Complicated

“What’s that about?”

Trish’s question takes Theo as just a mild surprise. Truthfully, chance has made it so that Trish has seen Theo without gloves more often than she has seen her with them. Considering her mother’s ban of gloves at the coffee shop and the fact that when they were at either of their houses, they were most likely in bed… _But_ when their delightful activities were over, Theo couldn’t help but sit up on bed, pick up her gloves and inspire Trish’s inquiry.

Several different answers sparked up in Theo’s mind. “ _I’m kind of a germaphobe_ ”, “ _I don’t really remember_ ” and “ _It’s a consequence of the time I held hands with a ghost when I was a little kid_ ” all seemed like good enough answers… in any other case. But it’s been increasingly obvious that Trish is not like most cases. She deserves better, and Theo is genuinely trying her best for Trish.

“I’m sensitive,” Theo answers instead.

Her words were accentuated by a shrug, a gesture that Trish has become familiar with, but she has also learned how to push Theo out of the emotional corners where she usually isolates herself. She pries kindly, with a smile, patiently, with caution. She notices Theo’s shoulders tense slightly, the muscles of her back alluring, taking Trish’s breath away, but also a clear sign of something troubling her stunning girlfriend. 

Timidly, Trish’s hand reaches out to Theo’s back. Her fingers barely graze the smooth skin when Theo jerks away. It’s a small gesture, barely noticeable, but it’s there. However, before she gets a chance at feeling offended, Trish instead worries because Theo’s shoulder tense even more.

“Not a big fan of unsolicited touch, are you?” Trish asks.

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Theo laughs, but her brain keeps working around her girlfriend’s words and when she says “but yeah, yeah that’s true,” Theo sounds surprised with herself.

“I can understand that,” Trish smiles, moving around the bed to sit beside Theo, without touching.

“Can you, though?” Theo asks. “Sometimes people stare. It’s weird, isn’t it? I’m always wearing these things.”

“Babe, do any of us look like we care about what people think?”

An instant of silence fills the room and then Theo chuckles lightly. The sound makes Trish giggle, which sparks a real laugh in Theo in turn. A moment later they are both caught in a laughing fit that it’s pure glee on both sides. Trish words, Theo’s laugh, the fact that they were attempting such a serious talk while both of them were naked… Before they noticed, their shoulders were brushing, their heads leaning against each other, then the entire length of the sides of their bodies touching as their laughs rocked their bodies. Slowly, the laughs started to subside, and before they stopped completely, both women were already kissing each other. With content smiles on their lips, the kiss was of the most delicious ones they had shared, and of course it sparked so much more.

 

Mornings at Theo’s house were always wonderful, Trish thought. Simply waking up beside her girlfriend was the best thing in the world, but there were other perks. Maybe Theo wasn’t the best when it came to cooking, but she had to be the best when it came to coffee. Though it wasn’t her favorite, Trish liked coffee, and she specially liked Theo’s coffee. Even more, she liked her coffee in the mornings, when they were halfway dressed, Theo waking up early to surprise her with breakfast and coffee, Theo trying a new style of coffee for her, Theo staring at her expectantly and eager to hear the verdict, Theo frowning or smiling giddily according to whatever Trish said, even if she was just teasing her. Maybe she just like Theo too much, but well...

“Here you go,” Theo said, passing a cup to her.

They were in the kitchen, their eyes still sleepy, voices raspy, and their bodies still moving slowly. Theo was leaning against the counter, wearing sweatpants and a nice black bra, but she was missing her oversized t-shirt, which had been shamelessly stolen by Trish, who was sitting on top of the table wearing said t-shirt, no pants and holding the steaming cup with both hands. She brought the cup closer to her face and recognized the smell of chocolate.

“Hm, this isn’t coffee…”

“Just try it. Tell me how it is.”

Following Theo’s request, Trish tried to take a sip. But when her lip made contact with the liquid she had to jerk away from the heat.

“Hot,” she said.

“Thank you so much, I know I am. Now, tell me about the drink.”

Trish had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud at her girlfriend’s smug words. Finally, though, she managed to take a decent sip of the hot chocolate.

“This is delicious,” she whispered, took another sip. “I _love_ it!”

“I’m glad.”

Theo stood still, her arms crossed in front of her as she stared at her girlfriend enjoying the chocolate with eyes closed in contentment, she was smiling with the same emotion.

“Theo, this is amazing, how did you do it?” she asked, took another sip, “You’re not having any?”

“Nope, I’m making coffee for myself.”

Theo felt over the moon, seeing Trish so happy with her hot chocolate. So, she slowly crossed the space between them and leaned her arms on either sides of Trish, trapping her there.

“I just wanted to prove a point. Put an end to the coffee and chocolate rivalry… Prove that I’m excellent at everything I do,” Theo declared confidently. Now that she had Trish’s undivided attention, their eyes not leaving each other, Theo leaned in and kissed her, slowly and savoring every moment, taking notice of the taste of chocolate on her girlfriend’s lips, “ _So good._ ”

“So do you like chocolate now?” Trish hummed between their kisses, “It is great, now give me my space so I can finish my drink.”

Hearing that, Theo pulled back with her face turned into a frown, she was almost pouting and Trish could feel something that could only be described as love filling up her heart. The feeling was so overwhelming that with a trembling hand she put her cup down beside her, thinking better of it she pushed it a little farther away. Then she placed her right hand on the back of Theo’s head and pulled her in for another kiss, longer, more passionate, the confirmation of the emotion she felt deep inside.

 

They had fights, of course they had fights, obviously they had fights. Upsetting arguments, heated debates, intense discussions, irritated conversations, whatever they chose to call them. Those were obstacles to be expected in every relationship. Theo and Trish were a unique couple though, they had the personalities to come up with a creative amount of conflicts. Very often Trish would push a little too much, Theo would pull back a little too far away. Theo wouldn’t care enough about something, Trish wouldn’t take another thing seriously enough. Trish would forget something, Theo wouldn’t agree to another thing.

“This is,” Trish said vehemently, “about _honesty_. That's all I'm asking from you, Theo!”

“You don't have to know everything that goes on in my head.”

Theo’s voice was cold a measured, but that wasn't strange. The worrying fact was Trish’s tone, more serious than Theo had ever heard it. There seemed to be a threat, a big risk floating above them this time, and Theo could feel a terrible fear growing inside her heart. But as hard as she tried, something inside her kept pushing and fighting against Trish.

“Do you even remember what this fight was about, Theo?”

Trish asked, Theo stayed quiet.

That was an occurrence that happened somewhat often. They had a small disagreement, maybe just a misunderstanding, but it would escalate and escalate, shift shape and change paths and in the end they couldn't remember what it all was about.

“You touched me…” Theo said, it came out more like a whisper, her voice had lost its edge. She sounded more like a wounded kid than a grown adult in a serious argument, and she hated it. 

“I know, I'm sorry,” Trish sighed, aware that she reaching for Theo’s hand in the middle of an argument has been a miscalculation. “But do you really have to jerk away as if I’ve burned you each time…”

“If you don’t like the way I am you can always leave!”

“Theo!”

“If you really…” Theo stopped herself from saying out loud words they still haven't share, “You can’t just ask me to change!”

“I’m asking you to open up!” Trish’s voice raised to match Theo’s. But she had run out of steam, she hated fighting, she just wanted Theo to talk. “I’m just asking you to open up a little Theo, for me.” But her girlfriend, all beauty and stubbornness, stayed still. Trish walked up to her, as close as she could get without touching. So close it physically hurt her not to raise her hands to caress Theo’s face. “I’m not just going to give up on you… _please_ don’t lose me.”

With that meaningful sentence out in the open and Theo breathless as if she had seen a ghost, Trish walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I'm loving writing this story. I recently finished rewatching thohh and wow I still love it so much and Theo/Trish still affect me emotionally.  
> I've planned for this fic to be 7 (get it?) chapters long! I know it's not much but I hope you'll like it :)  
> Please leave your comments because they make me so happy!


	4. A Pair Of Gloves

Trish had stayed true to her word, she wasn’t giving up on Theo, they didn’t break up. Trish answered nicely to all of Theo’s goodnight and goodmorning texts, she asked about her, she cared, but she also kept her distance. _Distance_ \- what Theo usually wanted the most from anything and everyone, it was exactly what was killing her. For two days she allowed herself to feel heartbroken and scared, as if Trish would never come back, as if she had lost a piece of herself. For the next three days she pretended, that was all she did. Pretended she was fine, she didn’t care. Pretended she could pick up a different girl, she could forget her. Pretended she didn’t need her, she didn’t dream of her, she didn’t desire her, she didn’t… she couldn’t keep it up.

The fact that Trish had easily agreed to meet her made it all the more worse. Maybe Trish was really too good for her, like Theo had always suspected, which made her feel all the more guilty. Maybe, though, Trish didn’t mind showing up to talk to Theo because she was already over her, over them and moved on. The simple thought sent chills through Theo’s body.

It had been a bad day. Everything had changed since Trish wasn’t there, and it had only been a couple of days. The thing is, being with Trish, Theo had opened up herself even if just the slightest bit. In consequence, she wasn’t so aware of everything and everyone around her, she was more comfortable walking around without her gloves. However, since Trish left her and considering Theo refused to discuss her situation with anybody, as per usual, her sensibility seemed heightened. Brushing hands with a stranger was worse than ever and she could have sworn she was feeling the emotions of the coffee cups. By the time the day ended Theo just about sprinted to grab her gloves and sit down to just breathe at one of the vacant tables.

“Theo, honey, are you leaving with us?” Olivia asked her from the middle of the place. Hugh was already waiting outside.

“Oh no, I’m, uh, staying to close down.”

“It is… _closed_ ,” her mother commented, looking around the empty coffee shop. “Are you okay, Theo?”

Theo didn’t reply. Of course she didn’t, Olivia thought. But just as her daughter could be obstinate, she was just as determined.

“Well, at least come give your mom a hug,” she said, and she waited and waited with her open arms, not yielding at Theo’s blank stare, “Come on, I think you need it more than me.”

“Mom…” Theo grumbled as she slowly took off her gloves and left them in the counter, walked a few steps ahead and hugged her mom, awkward at first, unavoidably, but eventually melting in the embrace, contentedly, as always.

The best part, for Theo at least, was both of them knowing that exchanging any more words was unnecessary. She could feel her mother’s warmth, encouragement, support, concern, belief in romance, and that pang of nostalgia at feeling her little girl taller than she was.

Afterwards, mother and daughter wore identical smiles on their faces.

“Liv?” Hugh said, his head showing up at the door, “are you coming?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m done,” Olivia replied, “I love you Theo!” she said over her shoulder, and she stood firmly at the door, refusing to leave without a response.

“I love you too, mom,” Theo laughed.

“Goodbye!”

Just like that, Theo was alone, just as she liked it, though this time she was finally waiting for somebody else. The smell of coffee was a pleasantly warm company, and she decided to leave her gloves at the counter, ready to meet Trish as honestly as she deserved to. Every second that passed made Theo more afraid, irrationally, she knew, because she was somehow certain Trish would show up. Effectively, five minutes later, there she was.

Again, they were on separate sides of the counter. Again, Theo felt unexplainably nervous. This time, however, Trish wasn’t wearing the smile she always had when she stared at Theo. Anticipation was clouding the air around them.

“Hey. Thanks for coming,” Theo started off.

“You called me,” Trish replied. “What happened?”

Theo shrugged, “Can we fix… this?”

Trish stared at her in disbelief, though she refrained from rolling her eyes, not wanting to make things even more difficult.

“I don’t know, Theo, can we?”

“Don’t you want to fix this?”

“I do!” Trish raised her voice for a moment, but then it went back to a near whisper, she was exhausted, “But you’re going to have to try a little harder, Theo.”

In response, Theo sighed. She was frustrated with herself and embarrassed with Trish. She knew wanted to fix everything, to make it all better, that she really had to give a little more of herself… but something inside her was stopping her. It was a part of her, and all her life she had embraced that wall that kept her apart from the rest of the world. Taking down her walls was harder than she had imagined, and she wasn’t completely sure she was ready, or if she even wanted to… 

Something changed, though. Unable to stare at Trish’s angry and disappointed eyes, Theo turned her head slightly, to look out through the windows of the shop. However, her eyes caught something else, something entirely different that made her blood run cold instantly. Standing there on the other side of the glass door of the shop was a little girl, dark hair, beautiful eyes, wearing a pair of gloves and looking more scared than any little kid ever should. She looked terrified, shocked by horror. “ _Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!_ ” Theo could hear the frightened girl’s voice pounding inside her own skull.

Trish was talking to her, but Theo could only hear her own screams from so many years ago, and she couldn’t look away from that vision of herself. She was about to scream, when a different voice finally seemed to wake her up.

“What the _fuck?!_ ”

Trish shouted. She sounded shocked, confused, scared. It brought Theo back to the present, back to the sight of Trish throwing Theo’s gloves away.

“What the fuck?” she repeated, “Oh my God…”

That definitely woke Theo up. She felt hit by lightning and immediately rushed to the other side of the counter to take Trish trembling figure in her arms.

“What happened? What happened?” Theo desperately asked, “Hey, it's okay, shh, I got you.”

She didn't received answers at first. Trish was more than frightened, she couldn't stop shaking and with her hands she grabbed fistfuls of the fabric of the back of Theo’s sweater.

“I just,” she tried to speak, “I felt… awful, horrible, terrible… I…”

“Shh, it's okay baby, it's okay, I know, I know.”

And she really did. Theo had a hand on the back of Trish’s head, cradling her against her chest, the other hand rubbing Trish’s back up and down soothingly. It was more than enough to get a sense of everything she was feeling. Every horrible thing Theo had experienced apparently had nested on her gloves. When Trish had mindlessly tried the gloves on, somehow the feelings had reached her. Did she had certain sensibility like Theo did? Was it Theo's fault? Just a matter of their unique connection? It didn't matter to Theo either way. All she cared about was easing Trish’s terror.

“Trish, babe, it's okay, look at me.”

“Theo?” Trish relented and raised her head to stare at her, but the scared eyes holding back tears were absolutely heartbreaking. “I felt… I don't understand…”

“I do,” Theo told her, “I understand perfectly. I know exactly what you're feeling. I've felt it… I'm feeling it.”

But Trish only looked at her confusedly, and Theo's heart grew with affection.

“You'll be fine, I promise. I’ll protect you,” Theo whispered softly as she took Trish’s hands and gently pried them away from her, just to hold them between her own hands, raise them to her lips and softly kiss them, “I'll explain everything, I promise. I'll be completely honest with you from now on. I'll do anything for you, Trish”

Afterwards, Trish sighed and moved to hug Theo again, snuggling against her as if her girlfriend’s words had melted her, eased her pain, solved all her problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly I just couldn't wait to post this  
> I really hope you guys like it, let me know what you think!


	5. Tallest Sister

Two days later, Theo found herself in Shirley’s living room, zoning out as both of her sisters discussed very uninteresting topics such as… Theo herself.

“So I told her ‘I ice people out? Have you met yourself?” Shirley was saying.

“I mean she kind of has a point…” Nell tried to say thoughtfully, but Shirley continued.

“A clenched fist with hair, Steve has always said it.”

“Excuse me,” Theo interrupted as if they had woken up from a nap, “I’m here.”

“Exactly my point,” Shirley continued, “How badly did you mess up this time, Theo?” and seeing her sister’s confusion she explained herself, “You would have never come here, to us, if your wonderful personality hasn’t got you into extreme problems.”

“Does it have to do with Trish?” Nell asked, her eyes lighting up.

“Yeah,” Theo shrugged, “I fucked up. But not too bad, okay? My main issue here is I don’t know if I should… want… how to… you know.” she finished with vague hand gestures.

“Well…“ Nell started, seemingly not having any problem to understand.

“No,” Shirley stopped her, “Theo, you have to be a little bit more eloquent here.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Theo asked, nearly killing Shirley with just a look.

She sighed and leaned back on the couch, debating whether it was really worth it.

“Trish wants me to be more honest, to open up, give a little more of myself, whatever. I don’t know how… I don’t think I can do that,” Theo said. She had her eyes closed in frustration, uncomfortable beyond words at her current situation. But then she opened her eyes and stared at her sisters almost as an act of defiance, knowing they wouldn’t be able to joke about what she was going to say next. “The other day we were talking at the coffee shop. And I saw _something_. Then, she picked up my gloves, and she felt _something_ …”

Theo finished her words with a shrug, as if leaving it up to them, “See what you do with that information”, she was saying with her expression. Their family was experienced in that language of “ _somethings_ ” that said everything and nothing at once.

“So, she…” Nell started asking, but Theo shook her head. Whatever Trish had felt was most likely Theo’s fault, Theo’s gloves’ fault, not Trish’s.

“No.” Shirley said, finally. as if the single word expressed all her emotions.

“See? As soon as something is not what you planned you deny it. You never want to talk about these things.” Theo said.

“I am not Steve.” Shirley protested, “What even are you so afraid of, Theo?”

“I don’t want to hurt her…”

“Ugh, you’re really in love.”

As she spoke, Shirley faked disgust, and Nell looked positively glowing in happiness. But then Theo continued.

“It’s awful, and I don’t want to do it. But I can open up, at least I think I can. I can be honest and try… I _can_ do this. But…“ Theo struggled with her words, “There’s all these issues, all these ghosts that come along with me, with us. I… I wouldn’t forgive myself if any of this darkness ever reached Trish.”

“Hey,” Nell called her gently. “Theo, do you remember how I met Arthur? I was looking for help. I was trying to get rid of literal ghosts. But not once did we said that word. Still, I said what I had to say and he was there to listen, he was there to love me, with or without ghosts.”

“Kevin and I literally work with dead people…” Shirley shrugged, “It’s my weird thing, I suppose. But he supports me. And we love each other. We’ve made a family. It’s hardly ever easy, but we are always… I don’t know, trying, giving, fighting, with each other, and for each other.”

Theo listened to her sisters and tried to feel thankful for their support. But she was distracted by the absolute fear of letting Trish too close to her, having to explain so many things, possibly ruining everything…

“Theo? Why don’t you bring Trish here?” Shirley suggested calmly, despite Theo’s horrified expression and Nell’s cheer, “Let us help.”

“We are your best bet,” Nell smiled.

To that suggestion Theo did not know what to answer. Why did it sound like the last thing she should do yet her only salvation?

 

So far, everything is going alright, Theo thinks. She was in Shirley’s living room again, this time Trish had joined the sisters. They were exchanging polite conversation and drinking coffee, which was surprisingly good so it must mean that Nell was the one to make it in Shirley’s kitchen. They were all actually trying their best that day. Since the incident at the coffee shop, involving Theo seeing a ghost of her past self from their last night at Hill House, and Trish getting haunted by the horrible feelings kept in Theo’s gloves, which she threw in the trash that same night, things had been better yet awkward between them. Trish had a lot of questions she didn’t know how to phrase, and Theo had a lot of answers that she didn’t want to share. At least, that day they went back to spend the night at Theo’s house, where they were unusually quiet and did nothing but hold each other tightly through the night. In the end, despite Theo’s doubts, she brought Trish to meet her sisters sooner than expected.

Theo had been zoning out of their conversation again. She was only brought back by a sneeze from Nell.

“Do you have a cold?” she asked.

“Oh no, I’m okay,” Nell replied with a smile, “I already talked to Luke. He was being dumb and walked home last night in the rain, so… It’s the twin thing.”

The youngest of the Crain siblings shrugged, as if that explained everything. Shirley and Theo understood, somewhat. Trish looked confused. And Theo thought, oh, they are really doing this right now.

“Right! Luke. You’ll probably meet him soon, Trish. He’s Theo’s favorite.” Shirley commented.

“What?” Theo scoffed.

“She’s always been super protective over the twins.”

“I have not!”

“Yes!” Nell beamed, “Luke always tells this story about the time we were living in, uh, a house, and Theo accidentally sent him into a secret basement, where a, uh, monster?”

“Zombie?” Theo added.

“Ghost?” Shirley suggested.

“A _thing_ , attacked him. No one believed him except Theo. She went by herself and discovered the secret room just to prove Luke was right.”

Nell looked overly proud then, Theo looked uncomfortable, and Trish looked like she was having a hard time balancing amusement about Theo's childhood stories and absolute confusion about some of the things the sisters were saying.

“Oh she also stood up for him to Mrs. Dudley, I’ve been told.”

“You’re wrong.” Theo said.

“She’s right,” Shirley intervened.

“I am right!”

“It wasn’t for Luke, it was just to annoy Mrs. Dudley.”

“Liar,” Shirley called her out. “Plus that time she stood up to mom for you, Nell.”

“Yes! Right! She did!” Nell blurted, “There were these strange scribbles on the walls, right? And they said ‘Nell’ but I didn’t do it. Mom tried to accuse me but Theo was there for me. And she could feel that it wasn’t me, she took off her gloves and… Anyway, we found out there were more scribbles under the wallpaper that were literally impossible for me to make so…. we had to clean that up anyway.”

Nell looked proud, confident in her words, nodding along, as if everything she just said made complete sense. Which had Shirley suppressing a smile and Theo looking down at her lap, her hand coming up to massage her temples, already picturing Trish definitely breaking up with her.

However, what really happened was that, confused beyond relief, Trish only found sense in the endearing sight that was watching Theo embarrassed. She placed her hand on top of Theo’s and squeezed.

“Theo, you sound like you were really cute,” she whispered.

“Uh, no! She was kind of scary,” Nell assured them.

This brought laughs to spread around the group.

“She liked to dance, passionately. But she threatened to kick our faces if we ever tried to watch her,” Shirley commented smugly, taking a sip of her coffee, “Such a shame you were so short, Theo.”

“Oh? You want to discuss who’s the tallest sister? Oh please go ahead Shirley.”

The laughs continued, the conversation flowed easily and every minute it seemed that Trish and Theo got closer and closer in that couch until it seemed that they had erased even the emotional distance of the days they had spent apart.

At some point, though, Shirley had to leave for a second to attend a matter of her business. “A dead body waits for me, excuse me,” she had said. And Nell stepped aside to talk to Luke on the phone. She was begging him to just please take a cold medicine or do something about it, because she felt terrible. Which was undeniably odd for Trish, who leaned in a whispered to Theo.

“Theo, this is all _so_ weird…”

“I know,” Theo smiled, “It’s been worse.”

Trish looked visibly concerned, but she didn’t look angry anymore, so Theo couldn’t really hold back her smile.

“Look, family is… weird. Mine just took it a little too far, a little too supernatural,” she said, earning a timid smile from her girlfriend. “I could recommend you a book, if you want to understand us a little better. It’s not that good though.” Theo shrugged.

“It’s your brother’s book isn’t it?”

“Maybe.”

The couple laughed lightly and leaned in closer to each other.

“Trish, look, I’m sorry I’m so difficult. I can’t promise you I’m a whole new person, but I…” Theo stuttered, cleared her throat and jumped right in. “I can promise I'm in love with you. I'll love you how you deserve to be loved. _I'll love you completely_.”

The kiss that followed Theo’s words was slow and meaningful, it was only interrupted by Trish to whisper against Theo’s lips, “I love you too.”

Of course, it was also interrupted by an excited little scream from Nell and Shirley shushing her. Both of them had been waiting for the day that Theo finally gave up her shield. The day had arrived and Theo was more in love than she’d thought possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only to more chapters left!! (i think) (btw friendly reminder that everyone is alive, including Arthur of course)  
> I really love Theo's relationship with both of her sisters. I hope I did it justice. Next chapter we'll finally see a little of Steve, Luke and Hugh.  
> I hope everyone's enjoying this story. Please share it and let me know what you think! I really love your comments :)


	6. Certain and Unmeasurable

“Fascinating,” Steven said in awe, “Just… she’s _so_ weird.”

He was leaning against the counter of Hill Coffee House, and his sister Shirley had fallen asleep with her head resting on it. A minute later she started talking in her sleep.

“One penguin, two… enough sugar… we’re okay…”

Meanwhile, Luke was trying his best to hold back his laugh as he dangled a towel over Shirley’s nose, trying to tickle her.

“Aren’t you too old for that?” Theo said, as soon as she walked into the shop holding hands with Trish beside her.

“ _You’re_ old,” was Luke’s only response.

The scene was made even perfect by Nell jumping out of Arthur’s arms and rushing to the door to greet the couple. Her cheer of excitement woke Shirley up, and when she quickly straightened up, her head made contact with Luke’s chin and both of them cursed in pain, surrounded by laughs.

“Hey Nell,” Theo and Trish greeted her, still captive in her hug.

“Hi! Trish, I’m so happy to see you! Let me introduce you to my husband!”

She was quickly dragged away to meet said handsome husband, and Theo was left behind, shaking her head at being blatantly ignored by her little sister. But she was quickly wrapped in another, less delicate hug.

“Theo!” Luke exclaimed, while she fought to break away from his hold. “Finally a girlfriend? I’m proud!”

“Okay, thanks.” Theo grumbled as she managed to lightly hit her brother on his stomach, both of them laughing, one a little more openly than the other.

Finally free and hoping to whatever Gods were above that her family was done with hugs for the day, Theo tried to fix her hair. Eventually, her girlfriend came to her aid, and after tenderly taming the messed up strands of hair, Trish was introduced to the boys of the Crain family.

“Trish, this is my brother Luke, he’s adopted,” Theo deadpanned.

“I’m literally Nell’s twin!” he laughed.

“And this one’s Steven, He’s boring but he makes money so we keep him around.”

“Theo, always a sweetheart.” the older brother mocked her.

After enough handshakes, hugs, kissed cheeks and more jokes and arguments than one could keep track of, it was like everyone had nearly forgotten about Trish. Not in the sense that she was ignored, not at all. But it was more like she was welcomed so openly, so warmly, so casually into the family that it seemed all was meant to be. None of the siblings quite knew how to react to the scenario of Theo happy and with a steady girlfriend, so they skipped over the awkwardness and easily embraced Trish presence. Eventually, Trish familiarized herself with the unstoppable flow of siblings and their little kids that moved in and out of the shop. Theo was beyond grateful, and although she wouldn’t say it out loud, she didn’t think she had loved her family as much as she did that day. When she saw each of her siblings warm up to Trish, welcome her with open arms, and show her, specially, that despite of their issues, because all of them had been torn in some way by events of their childhood, they were all pushing forward, living their lives, and so could Theo and Trish. Maybe they wouldn’t have to fight alone after all.

 

 

Days passed, weeks passed and then months. Theo and Trish had finally moved in together. The process had been slow, because Theo wanted to make sure she’d be fine touching every surface of the house. Simultaneously, she refused to make a big deal out of it, and denied to do it.

“Do you want some _privacy_?” Trish would awkwardly ask when they found a seemingly good place, expecting Theo to have her own ways to approve of the place.

But Theo would only reply with an annoyed expression.

“Look, I don’t fully understand what you do,” Trish defended herself, “But, do what you have to do, Theo.”

“Hey, I looked at the place, like a normal person, and it looks fine. I’m fine with it.”

“Don’t be stubborn.”

With just that sentence, anyone else would have Theo’s temper flaring up. But when it was Trish, she accomplished so much more. She smoothly disarmed Theo. Her patience made Theo surrender her walls and defense mechanisms again and again.

So, Theo slowly took of her gloves. She started pacing the main bedroom of the apartment they might get, her hand grazing the walls. When she stopped at the window and looked outside, her bare hands resting on the frame, a shiver moved through her body.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Just like that, the decision was made. Trish completely respected Theo’s… instincts. Truthfully, she didn’t fully understand a lot of things about Theo or her family, the book made it all the more confusing. And it was obvious the family was used to discussing things without actually talking about them, without saying all the things they probably should say, avoiding certain words and events as if they all had memorized a list. It was fine tightrope that she was walking on. But, knowing Theo was there holding her hand, needing her, loving her, she wasn’t about to give up.

When they reached a middle ground, though, it had been amazing. Not just because the nearly new apartment was perfect for them, but because the actual process of moving out ended up being a lot of fun. Settling down in their home was even better, and unnecessarily long, considering they seemed unable to keep their hands off each other even after months of dating.

“So… what do we have here?” Trish asked. Because of the teasing tone of her voice, Theo already knew her girlfriend was teasing her about something before she even turned around. “A family picture in a handmade frame. Cute and meaningful. Didn’t know you had it in you, Theo.”

“Very funny,” she deadpanned. “Look, Shirley is into taking millions of pictures and Nell is into, I don’t know, arts and crafts sometimes. And despite popular belief, I’m not a total bitch.”

“Partially a bitch?”

Theo’s rich laugh reached Trish just as her girlfriend brought her arms around her. Theo took the framed picture from Trish’s hands and distracted her by leaving a series of brief kisses on her girlfriend’s neck. The gesture instantly raised goosebumps on Trish’s skin. They knew they’d have to pull away before they got distracted again. But Theo didn’t give up without a fight, so she only pulled away after leaving a flirtatious bite on the first tattoo she found on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

It wasn’t long before another thing from Theo’s boxes caught Trish’s attention. She fished out a large hoodie with the name of a university. “What about this?” she asked. “Did you keep clothes from a secret boyfriend you haven’t told me about?”

“God no,” Theo visibly cringed. “Fun fact about me, my mom apparently found out I was a lesbian since I was eight.” Theo took the hoodie and marveled at the _care_ , _love_ and _I miss you_ ’s that she picked from the item. Even more interestingly, she couldn’t exactly define whose emotions were those, the giver or receiver of the gift. “So this is actually from Luke. Little brother, college student, cheerful and loving, kind of like having a golden retriever in the family…”

“Theo!”

“Look. Steven is fine, he’s attentive, supportive and protective. But when he grew up, he didn’t become exactly the warmest of guys. Luke, apparently, decided to make up for that, becoming obnoxiously sweet and getting away with it because he somehow didn’t lose all of his childhood cuteness.”

“Oh my God you really adore your little brother, don’t you?”

Theo scoffed at her girlfriend’s dramatic response. “In conclusion, he made it a point to give one of these,” she held up the hoodie, “to each sister. A t-shirt for mom, a baseball hat for dad and, wait for it, a pen for Steven.” She watched delighted as Trish tried to hold back her laugh. “He loved it!”

The couple shared laughs, kisses and intimate touches while they continued to unpack their personal belongings in their new home. When they were dedicated to a part of Trish’s stuff, Theo discreetly put on her gloves. It was a sort of form of respect. She didn’t exactly want to know everything about Trish if the woman didn’t actually share it.

Trish, on the other hand, was growing curious about exactly what Theo was hiding under the gloves, about all the possibilities. But when she found the courage and the right words to make her request known, she was quickly rejected by her girlfriend.

“What? No!” Theo shook her head, making her ponytail swing behind her head. “Why would I do that? It could only bring trouble, Trish.”

“Please, I’m curious.”

“Even worse.”

“Theo,” she pleaded. “Just for a little bit. I want to understand you better. See what you can do.”

“It’s not a party trick.”

Although she grumbled the words, there was a teasing smile in Theo’s lips and she started to take off her gloves. She couldn’t say no to her girlfriend. But she couldn’t deny her heart had suddenly sped up. What if she didn’t like what she found among Trish’s things?

“Babe you don’t even like this blouse! Why do you keep it?”

Theo’s exclamation after picking up the first item she found in front of her made a loud laugh escape from Trish. It was true, that blouse had been a gift from a friend, a terrible gift that she didn’t have the guts to throw away.

With such a lighthearted start, the couple continued to move through Trish’s stuff as they put their final touches to their new bedroom. Theo teased her girlfriend about the regrettable decisions she had made in most articles of clothing. And when she felt anything unpleasant she tried to ignore it, to drop the object quickly. It was a really strange situation. She felt like she was intruding. Although apparently she had Trish’s consent, that didn’t mean Trish was completely aware, that she understood the lengths of what Theo could uncover.

“Well this is a nice box,” Theo said, picking up a, well, a really nice box where Trish kept her jewelry. “It was a lot of work.”

“Open it. Look inside.”

“Let’s see…” Theo opened the box, took a moment to look over the gorgeous mess of necklaces, rings and bracelets scattered around and picked one up randomly. “Well, I certainly hope that whoever gave you this knows that you are taken, very taken, very mine.”

Trish’s eyebrows raised. She was impressed. Effectively, the delicate necklace was a gift from a past girlfriend. She never saw her again. But if they were to see each other again, Trish would be more than ecstatic about letting her, and everybody in the world for that matter, know that she was Theo’s, and Theo was hers. Right on cue, Theo leaned in to kiss her. Trish’s had been expecting just a peck on the lips. But Theo seemed to really want to stress the point about her being taken. So the kiss happened to be more intense, a little rough, more passionate. It left Trish truly breathless and her brain struggling to catch up and make her open her eyes even after Theo had pulled away. When she managed to look at Theo again, she noticed the small gold ring she was holding up.

“This one is fake, babe. They robbed you.”

“Shut up!” Trish laughed and grabbed the ring from Theo’s fingers. She let their laughs echo for a bit, let her joy settle deep within her. Then she took the leap. “What about me?” she asked.

“What about you?”

“I mean, what do you feel in me?”

“Only beautiful things, baby, let’s not…”

Before Theo could finish her sentence, Trish had already held onto Theo’s hands. Theo let out a sigh and then let her hands roam the length of Trish’s arms. Her fingertips softly brushing the skin, taking with her bits and pieces of Trish’s emotions, she closed her eyes in concentration. Theo reasiled with sudden interest that Trish kind of wore an armor. The tattoos were a distraction. Wherever Theo touched, what she felt most intensely was the emotions of each tattoo as memories, as experiences, as a needle piercing through her skin. Her instinct brought her hands down toward Trish’s hands, where she intertwined their fingers, holding tighter when she felt the spark of genuine, deep feeling surfacing. What she felt made her frown. Urged by her girlfriend’s silence, Trish leaned in and closed the distance, letting her forehead rest against Theo’s. The added contact made everything clearer for Theo.

“You’re scared,” she blurted out.

“No, I’m not.”

“You don’t… believe… in forever?”

Confusion clouded Theo’s voice and deepened her frown. Trish pulled away but allowed their hands to remain intertwined. Theo’s grip was strong.

“You don’t actually think we’ll last much longer?” Theo opened her eyes and let out a bitter laugh, tightening her hold on Trish’s hands while she tried to pull away. “You think I’ll stop loving you?”

“Theo let me go.”

“You’re sure I won’t stay…”

“Not forever, no. That’s not for me,” Trish spoke as she struggled with the knot on her throat, then she lost her patience. “Theo let me go!”

She janked her hands away and Theo also pulled away as if she had been burned, “What’s wrong with you?” she shouted.

“That was private! You’re not supposed to-”

“You made me!”

“Well then maybe don’t touch me ever again!”

Trish punctuated each shouted word with a step backward until she reached the bathroom, where she walked in and slammed the door shut. To say Theo was left dumbfounded would be an understatement.

“What the fuck?” she whispered.

Theo looked around the room, trying to see if there was something wrong in the room, somebody else, some hidden camera, some ghost, something to blame except for the two of them. Her hands flew to her head, she took her hair out of its ponytail and ran her hands roughly through it. She couldn’t understand the level of her frustrations and her fear. A part of her wanted to run back to her sisters and say, this didn’t work, this won’t work, help me, please. But the larger part of her understood she didn’t have the time.

Trish loved her, but she was scared, terrified it seemed. Trish loved her, but she didn’t think they would last. Trish loved her, but she was prepared for a break up. Trish loved her, but did she knew how much Theo loved her?

“Trish come out, please,” Theo asked, walking to the bathroom door.

“Never. Please leave, Theo. Forget what just happened and leave.”

“Never.”

Theo’s voice was hoarse for the knot on her throat and the overload of emotions was threatening to spill tears from her eyes.

“Don’t shut me out, please. I know for experience, it never works.”

She was pleading with her forehead pressed against the bathroom room, so she heard the exact moment Trish leaned against the other side of the door. Well, at least she had her attention.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I should have done something to stop it but, the thing is, I can’t. I don’t know how. I don’t know how to stop it, how to stop myself. I don’t know how to be anything different than what I am.” she said. “If I had lost you for who I am, my closed-off personality, my bad habits, things I can change and improve… that would have been reasonable. Hell, it would have made sense. And it almost happened. But this, this is something I can’t change, or fight, or control, I think. If I lose you for this, I’ll just be doomed. If I lose you, the best thing that has happened to me, the most beautiful, patient, kind and loving person that has come into my life, if I lose you I’ll be doomed.”

For a brief second, Theo lost her balance. She pulled back and noticed Trish had opened the door a little bit.

“I’m sorry, too. Maybe I reacted too harshly. I got scared,” Trish whispered. When she noticed Theo wasn’t going to keep talking perhaps because she couldn’t, she was the one to continue. “I don’t want to lose you. You have been trying. I should try, too. We just have to find our balance, right? Figure this out together, step by step.”

As her sweet voice came to soothe Theo’s fears and bring a smile to her face, Trish fully opened the door and walked into her girlfriend's arms. The sighs of relief that they both let out were a statement to how scared they really were. But then there was the strength of the hold they had to each other, arms wrapping tightly as if they never wanted to let go. They were more determined and more in love than they were scared. They were going to make it, no matter what.

 

 

 

“So, how do I look?”

“Perfect.”

Theo’s reply was simple and the small on her face was small. But nobody would have been able to miss the adoration that shined in her eyes. She was overwhelmingly in love. She felt her love for Trish to be a certain and unmeasurable thing that filled her up and completed her. It was ike she had begun to breathe a different oxygen than she had her whole life, now her blood was richer and she was more alive.

After months of pleading, Olivia Crain had finally convinced her middle child to suggest to her girlfriend if she wanted to work at the coffee shop. It wouldn’t be a serious job, just a family thing. She’d work one of Theo’s turns, whenever she wanted. It was more about the experience. And Trish was clearly enjoying the experience, proudly wearing the uniform, her hair in a tight ponytail and one of her impossibly bright smiles that had stolen Theo’s heart since the very first day.

“You look beautiful, darling,” Olivia beamed, coming to stand beside Trish. “I’m sure you’ll be great.”

“Thank you so much, Mrs Crain. I’m really excited to be here.”

Trish’s eyes seem to sparkle as she talked and Theo could almost physically feel her heart about to burst out of her chest. She had to bite her lip to hold back the cheesy smile that she kept reserved to Trish and only Trish in the safety of their home.

“Well,” Hugh sighed, appearing from the door of the storage room. “It won’t be too difficult to do better than our little girl Theo.”

“Dad,” Theo complained.

“Come on, help me over here while your mother makes a new best friend.”

The four of them shared a laugh and Theo rolled her eyes. Helf because of her parents bickering and teasing. Half because she couldn’t believe the actual warmth that such interaction brought to her heart. She was turning softer and it annoyed her beyond words. She had miscalculated the effect of Trish breaking down her walls. Apparently it was difficult to build them back up around everyone else. It wasn’t so bad, she guessed, maybe it was supposed to be that way.

At least she had her father. Hugh and Theo had kept a comfortable and steady relationship for most of Theo’s life. They had their ups and downs and he, like everybody else, was kept on the other side of Theo’s walls, at a safe distance, at a really safe distance away. But all things considered, Hugh was more than proud of his relationship with Theo. Since she was a little girl they were used to working in companionable silence at little things in every house they lived in. Their small talk was, well, small. But it was genuine and maybe Theo wouldn’t open her heart in emotional letters like Nell, but she never resented him like Steven. They kept a nice middle ground. And he trusted that even if she wasn’t up for long, open-hearted conversations, she was comfortable enough to go to him for quick advice on every problem she might have. Even if she wasn’t overly affectionate, in Theo’s language it was easy to notice that she loved him, she loved him deeply and he loved her even more.

“Do you think she’ll be good working here?” Theo asked after a few minutes of them sorting through storage in silence.

“I’m sure, I’m really sure. She, uh, she has the charm. And your mother, your mother will train her well.”

Hugh wouldn’t push his daughter. He knew not to ask too many questions, to let her start most of the conversations. But when he saw her open her mouth to continue talking, he stopped his work and focused his full attention on his daughter.

“Do you… like her?” Theo asked rather awkwardly, keeping her eyes on the job at hand.

“Absolutely. I think she’s lovely.”

There was much more he would have liked to say. I think she’s perfect for you, I’m so thankful she exists because she makes you smile, she seems unique and special and a real treasure in this world, you’re really lucky, my baby, and she’s even more lucky to have you. But he had a feeling that Theo already knew all those things. Besides, he had learned the hard way, years ago, that too many words could scare her away. In Theo’s case, it was better just to listen to her.

“Daddy, I want to tell you something,” she whispered.

He was patient, he let her gather her strength, finally stop her work and turn around to stare at him. Her eyes were nervous, she looked shy in a way that he hadn’t seen her in so many years. He only smiled in response, his kind and supportive smile, and that was all she needed. The smile she gave him in exchange was the most beautiful thing Hugh Crain had ever seen. He didn’t get to see such a big and bright grin on Theo’s face so often. He cherished the moment, he begged his heart to stay strong and calm, and he took a deep breath, awaiting the words that he was certain were coming next.

“I want to ask her to become my wife.”

Hugh gave up fighting his smile and the excitement and pride form his voice, “That’s great, Theo. I think it’s perfect. She will be so lucky to be your wife and you’ll both be so happy," he said.

The tenderness of her father’s words made Theo unbelievably… happy. She had had long talks with herself, overthinking this conversation and why it should even happen, but she was overjoyed to share it with her dad. Her knee was bouncing with untameable excitement, Hugh noticed. He was familiar with Theo’s boundaries, so much that he also knew when to break them. He open his arms widely and smiled in the same manner, not dropping arms nor smile until Theo yielded with a playful scoff and finally hugged her father. They hugged each other tightly and Hugh felt his eyes waters, he even laughed lightly, his happiness showing off in any possible way. Theo mirrored his reaction. for in her father’s touch, feeling all he was feeling at the moment, she was in no doubt that she had made the right decision. They were going to be so happy. She hoped they could love each other as much as her parents loved each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long!!  
> I think there's only one chapter left. maybe an epilogue if someday i get in the mood to write an entire chapter of fluff lol  
> btw the little bit of angst in this chapter was... not planned! but i liked it  
> I really hope you guys liked this chapter  
> I don't know if I already mentioned it in here, but if you guys also like the movie Ocean's 8 I have a kind of crossover fic and you can check it out and le tme know what you think!  
> thanks for reading!  
> p.s. did you notice how much i love writing the words "her girlfriend"?


	7. Fighting

_Olivia Crain was sitting on an elegant rock bench just outside of a gorgeous greenhouse she was especially proud of - until the previous day, when one of her daughters thought it was a great idea to find out what would happen if a rock were to hit the glass ceiling. Broken glass. Sharp, menacing shards of glass flying everywhere, falling down, down towards the the head of her fragile little kid. Fear, worry, terror, disappointment, anger, anxiety. Her emotions took control over her… she shook her head as an attempt to clear her mind of memories of her reaction of the day before. She was sure her relationship with Theo wouldn’t be severely affected. But now that she had collected, from her other children, some interesting bits of information, she knew a serious talk with her daughter was in order._

_When she spotted her daughter approaching, Olivia smiled. Theo was walking, stomping on the ground with a small frown on her pretty face. Hugh often worried that for frowning so much their little girl would forget how to smile and would grow up to be a serious person. In contrast, Olivia didn’t worry too much about the little girl’s scowl. She could feel certainly in her heart that all her children were happy kids, even though they showed it differently._

_She knew that Theo frowned so often to contain herself from smiling too much. Because, when it wasn’t a timid smile, she couldn’t fight her wide, bright, charming grin. Olivia knew her little girl was clever, her sense of humor advanced, and her smiles sincere. Although she couldn’t know it back then, she wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that years later that grumpy little girl would make a living out of handing out her kind smiles to troubled kids until they learned to smile again._

_Another reason to smile was the youngest of the crain kids. Nell was currently clinging to her slightly older sister, while Theo did her best to wave her away. Finally, Nell looked up to see Olivia and confirm for herself that their mother wanted to talk to Theo alone. She sighed and waved to her mother, then ran back to the house, undoubtedly to find a different sibling to stick to._

_Eventually, Theo reached the bench where her mother was sitting. Olivia was wearing a beautiful dress that, just like her hair, danced delicately with the breeze. Theo always thought her mother was the closest thing to an angel on earth, and some days she wondered why she felt so distant from that grace and calm. The eight year old girl moved to sit on one end of the bench, but her mother quickly reached out to her._

_“Oh, no, you won’t. Come here,” she said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her onto her lap._

_“Mom,” Theo grumbled and struggled to pull away from her mother’s hold._

_Her little girl had grown up without giving any kind of warning. She was growing up silently and independently. Theo didn’t follow the patterns that Steven and Shirley took and Luke and Nell would follow. She was growing up without making much of a mess and asking too many questions. She was figuring out stuff by herself; observing, always studying everything and everyone around her. Olivia’s main worry about her kid was that she was giving up her childhood without a fight. Maybe they would be fine, though, as long as Theo kept the habit of despite putting up fights, in the end always yielding into tenderness and kindness with a secret smile, as if she melted in her mother’s arms. Both of them found themselves comfortable in there, and Olivia then started talking._

_“So, Theo, I heard you got into a small fight at school… again,” but in reply her daughter only growned. “A little bird told me you pulled another girl’s hair… again.”_

_“Shirley.” Theo said and rolled her eyes._

_“Actually Steven old me, but Shirley confirmed it and gave me the details.”_

_Olivia’s laugh and the lightheartedness of her tone relaxed Theo a little. Could it be that she wasn’t in trouble?_

_Meanwhile, her mother was replaying Shirley’s words in her head, “I don’t get it mom. Theo hangs out with just boys. When she finally makes one girl friend she seems so obsessed with this girl for like a week and then she always fights with her! I bet they like the same boy. And he likes Theo’s friend. So Theo is obviously jealous. See? I already figured it out… but Theo is still weird.” Oh Shirley, her mother thought, you have no idea. Theo could be jealous, maybe. But not jealous of thee girl. She didn’t want that boy’s attention._

_“May I ask why you decided to fight with that girl?” Olivia asked, and received a simple and pretty much expected shrug in response. “Well, I don’t know much about fighting with girls. But I have many years fighting with your father and I can tell you about that.”_

_That earned a small laugh from Theo. She was listening intently, not suspecting the reason nor goal of the conversation._

_“See, Theo, I’ve known your dad for many years. And we’ve had arguments about so many things. There was a time when we would fight about everything and nothing. Nowadays we’ve learned to fight… with love. We’re always on the same team. We love each other so, so much that even when when we’re fighting, we do it with love.”_

_“Mom, I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”_

_Olay, so maybe Theo wasn’t the one daughter that got deeply invested in love stories. But maybe they just had the wrong characters all along._

_“Look, I’m saying that sometimes we fight with someone because we really don’t like something they said or something they did. But sometimes we fight with someone because we really like something they said or something did.” Olivia explained. “Many times I’ve wanted to grab your father’s shoulders, shake him up and shout ‘I love you so much! I don’t know what to do with all this love for you! Stop doing whatever you’re doing because it’s annoying me!”_

_As she spoke, Olivia gently grabbed her daughter's shoulders to demonstrate her point, proudly earning gleeful giggles coming from her little girl._

_“So, do you think that’s why you fought with your friend? Because you like her so much it’s kind of annoying?”_

_Olivia’s face and words were sympathetic and kind. Theo couldn’t help but smile back at her mother and shrug._

_“Well, then, first of all, fighting is not the answer. There are other ways to show someone you like them, Theo. And I don’t want you getting in trouble, okay?” Olivia said, a little more sternly. But then she was all love and kindness again, “This could be a much longer discussion someday, when your older. Because even though it doesn’t seem like it matters right now, some people care if you like boys or girls. And some people can be mean. But, never forget this, those people don’t matter, okay? Because love could never be wrong.”_

_It was a little bit too much for Theo to take in, but she was trying her best to absorb her mother’s words, intuitively noticing the seriousness of the subject and solemnly nodding along._

_“You’re probably getting bored, honey, I’ll let you go in a minute,” Olivia told her daughter. “I just want to share one secret with you, Theo. Something very important. Here’s the thing, my darling. You can pull girls’ hair as much as you want, Theo, for now. But one day you will grow up, and you will meet a girl, and you will like her so, so much, that the last thing you’ll want to do is ever fighting with her.”_

_It seemed that Olivia had just revealed one of the greatest secrets of the universe. Because Theo was finally looking at her with that unmistakable spark in her eyes, that slight blush and the beginnings of a timid smile. It was that dreamy look that Shirley got when talking about boys, that look that invaded little Nell’s face when she made messy drawings of charming princes wearing bright blue suits, and the same look that Olivia often caught on her own reflection when she finds herself thinking of her beloved husband._

_“One day, Theo, you’ll find a girl that you will like to much she’ll make you feel all kinds of things. Happy feelings, confusing feelings, strange feelings, unexplainable feelings, but it all comes back to love. Real love, Theo. That day you will find out that you don’t want to fight with this girl. You’ll want to fight for this girl. You’ll want her to be part of your life, part of your family, part of you, forever…_

 

 

It was the two year anniversary of the day Theo and Trish met each other. Despite Theo’s preferences, she couldn’t deny that her plan for setting up a romantic dinner for two right in the middle of the coffee shop where they met ended up being a pretty romantic event. Roses surrounded them, candles lighting up the place, a delicious meal almost done, and just the two of them, sharing smiles, laughs and genuine conversation like only they could do with each other.

“Thank you so much for everything, Theo. Everything was amazing,” Trish sighed, leaning back on her chair and looking around in wonder. “I seriously love this place.”

“Yes, I know you do, and I don’t know why,” Theo chuckled nervously, feeling her time running out and her nerves making an appearance. “Since the day it opened I’ve tried to… keep my distance, you know? From my family and this place. Keep my boundaries. But… then you made an appearance, of course. And you had to be so fucking pretty and nice and patient and smile at me the way you do and… did I mention you are gorgeous? Because it was all so annoying for me.”

The couple laughed freely and fully embraced the butterflies in their stomachs upon seeing the joy in the other’s eyes.

“Why even would you want to stay away from here? This place is magical! And your family is all wonderful. And then there’s you… just you.” Trish replied. Her words ended in a sweet smile that brightened her face and made everything feel softer, more tender and beautiful. It was exactly what Theo had been talking about.

“Okay, that’s it,” Theo said, suddenly very serious.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Nope. Quite the opposite. You’re just… I love you so much it’s kind of annoying.”

She threw her napkin on the table and pushed herself out of her chair. She was up and halfway done with taking off her gloves by the time Trish gathered her confusion and asked, “Uh, Theo? What are you doing?”

“Taking of my gloves?” Theo replied in a light mocking tone, but they could barely manage weak attempts at laughing. When Theo got down on one knee, the significance of the act was enough to send Trish up and out of her chair as if hit by lightning. When Theo’s hand pulled a small velvet box from her pocket, Trish’s hands flew to cover her mouth, to stifle a cry of joy.

“Trish-”

“Yes!”

“Let me say it!” Theo laughed, her nerves easing and the next words easily flowing. “You’re the love of my life. And I want to share this entire life with you. Since the very first moment, your smile makes me smile. When you laugh, I laugh. When you cry, I cry. Just because you exist, is a reason for me to live. The last thing I want to do is fight with you, I’d just fight for you. I want you to be part of my life, part of my family, part of me… forever. Would you marry me?”

Trish smiled and welcomed the tears that freely fell down her cheeks. Although at first she couldn’t wait to say the words, now that she had heard Theo’s words, now that the question was actually there between them, Trish was taking her time. She allowed herself to take in the moment, stare at Theo like she did the first time. She watched Theo as if from as distance, as if Theo couldn’t notice her. And when she couldn’t take it anymore, because she couldn’t imagine anything else she wanted more in the world, she said yes, “Yes, yes, yes,” she repeated the word a million a times in her head and in every kiss they shared that night and every kiss they’d share for the rest of their lives, “yes, yes, yes.”

The ring made its way to Trish’s finger and the couple found their way in each other’s arms, holding one another without any intentions of ever letting go.

“I love you, I love you, I love you so much, Theo,” Trish whispered while they continued intertwined in their embrace. “I think I’ve loved you since that very first day. I love you and all the magical things about you. I love and all the things I might not understand about you. I love you and this beautiful little place and I love your beautiful, crazy family.”

“I hope you mean that. They can be pretty intense. I bet they are on their way here. Nell might actually be hiding in the storage room cheering for us. And Steve owes Shirley twenty dollars because you actually said yes.” After sharing their first laugh as each other’s fiancees, the couple stepped back at little to look into each other eyes. “Are you ready to be one of the crazy Crains?”

“Absolutely.”

That way they sealed with a kiss the promise that would last forever and more, just as their love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhh I was putting off posting this chapter because I was a little scared!! It is the last chapter guys!! I finished this fic! This is exactly the ending I had planned. And of course it had to be 7 chapters lol I know it's a short fic but hopefully you guys liked it. I tried to write fluff, a little bit of angst, develop Theo and Trish's story, and make sure everyone just stays alive lol Who knows maybe I'll write an epilogue or more Theo /Trish one shots. If Kate Siegel is in the new season of the show or we get another lesbian you can be sure I'll write something! Well, this was so much fun, I really ejoyed writing it and that's what matters the most right? I really hope you guys liked this fic so please let me know all your thoughts! I reallyy appreciate all the comments please. Well... that's it for now! If you'd like to read it, I'm still writing an ocean's 8 x thohh fic so you can check that out. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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